Press

November 14, 2012

Littler Named a "Best Place To Work" and Earns Top Rating on Workplace LGBT Equity for Fifth Year in a Row by Human Rights Campaign Foundation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 14, 2012) - Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the world’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, has been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work” for the fifth consecutive year and earned a perfect 100 score in a newly-released report on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equity in American workplaces. Administered annually by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest advocacy group for LGBT Americans, the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) survey was created to provide an index that would assess how corporate America was treating LGBT workers.

“This is an exciting time at Littler as the firm looks toward a continued commitment to enhancing its diversity initiatives both inside and outside the firm,” said Marko Mrkonich, president and managing director of Littler. “We are honored to once again earn a top rating and be recognized as a “Best Place to Work” by the HRC Foundation, and this accolade truly underscores our efforts.”

The CEI ratings are determined by factors including non-discrimination policies, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity training and employer-provided benefits for domestic partners and transgender employees. Based on information submitted by Littler and independent research conducted by the HRC Foundation, Littler achieved a perfect score.

Littler has long been committed to cultivating and nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace. Among the firm’s various affinity groups is its LGBTA - Littler Pride group, which is focused on providing support, development and networking opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally attorneys and professional staff. Littler has also established an LGBTA Subcommittee to promote awareness, inclusion, and support for LGBT issues, both within and outside the firm. More recently, the firm was part of the groundbreaking “It Gets Better” movement, creating two educational videos geared towards LGBT youth and professionals. As a result of these and other Littler programs, the firm has garnered a number of accolades for its diversity efforts, and was ranked #5 in LGBT Diversity in the 2013 Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms.

“Corporate America continues to raise the bar in workplace fairness,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “LGBT-inclusive workplace policies are not only the right thing to do and good business practices, they are the new normal. Americans have spoken, and as we celebrate our victories at the ballot box, we hope Congress will follow corporate America’s lead and create a level playing field—including passing fully-inclusive workplace non-discrimination legislation.”

A total of 889 businesses have been rated in the 2013 CEI, including the entire Fortune 500. This year, a record 293 of the Fortune 500-ranked businesses have an official CEI rating, with the other 201 rated based upon publicly-available data. View the full report at www.hrc.org/cei.

About the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights Campaign represents a force of more than one million members and supporters nationwide—all committed to making HRC's vision a reality. Founded in 1980, HRC advocates on behalf of LGBT Americans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.

About Littler Mendelson

Littler Mendelson is the world’s largest labor and employment firm exclusively devoted to representing management. With over 950 attorneys and 56 offices throughout the U.S. and globally, Littler has extensive resources to address the needs of U.S.-based and multi-national clients from navigating domestic and international employment laws and labor relations issues to applying corporate policies worldwide. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record.